Supporting Charities This Christmas

In this guest blog, Anna Foster from ADF Consultancy shares her thoughts on supporting charities during the festive season:

The saying goes that Christmas is a time of goodwill, but more and more, this can get pushed out by huge brands claiming all the space for Black Friday, and sell sell sell, give more than you need or than you can afford! I thought I’d give a different spin on it, by thinking about how we can support charities this Christmas….

Volunteering

One way is of course by volunteering – but this can sometimes be tricky to do at short notice, with some charities needing a DBS check, longer lead in time etc – but don’t let this stop you – bear it in mind for the New Year! One example of festive volunteering in the Berkhamsted and Tring area is with Toy Hub; a relatively new charity in the area who have done a brilliant job already this year in collecting a huge number of toys so that all children can have a lovely gift on Christmas day. They still need volunteers into December, but even if you can’t help this year, remember it for 2025! https://www.toyhub.org/volunteer Local towns may have similar campaigns to support.

Donating

Donating is another brilliant way you can make an impact. Whether that’s to a local food bank – there are many around the area who will take non-perishable items and distribute them to those in need. It’s a really quick and simple way to make a difference – just google ‘food banks in my area’. Equally you could donate money to a festive campaign – choose a charity close to your heart, and give some money (don’t forget to gift aid it!). One great example live at the moment is Dacorum Citizen Advice’s crowdfunder – https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/supporting-citizens-advice-across-dacorum but every charity will willingly accept a donation!

Supporting Events

And then, potentially the easiest, as you may be looking for lovely festive things to do anyway, is supporting a charity event – I have pulled a list together of some events happening in and around Berkhamsted and Tring, but if you’re reading this from further afield you will find lots on Google and social media! These events take so much effort to organise, often by a huge number of volunteers, and the funds they raise make a huge difference to local charities who are struggling for funds more than ever, to run their vital services. All of your support is welcome!

November

• Ice skating for Florence Nightingale Hospice Charity – Chiltern View, 24 Nov – https://fnhospice.org.uk/event/chiltern-view-ice-skating-for-florence/
• Christmas shopping weekend at Returned to Glory, Berkhamsted. 30th Nov & 1 st Dec – https://www.stfrancis.org.uk/supporting-us/shop-with-us/returned-to-glory

December

• Rennie Grove Rudolph Run – 1 st Dec – https://renniegrovepeace.org/get-involved/fundraising-events/whats-on/rudolph-run-2024/
• Christmas at the Centre – 1 st Dec at Chilterns Neuro Centre, Wendover – https://chilternsneurocentre.org/event/christmas-at-the-centre/
• Local Choir on the Green have a series of charity concerts lined up starting on 4th Dec in Chesham ranging right to their cracker of a concert on 13th Dec! https://www.choironthegreen.com/liveevents
• Christmas Concert for AgeUk Dacorum – 4th Dec, Berkhamsted –https://tickets.matterpay.com/s/ageukdacorum/ZXZlbnQ6NjI4NQ==/community-christmas-concert-with-carols-and-readings
• Traditional Chiltern Christmas Market, 6/7 Dec, Chesham – https://www.rootandbranchchange.org/post/spectacular-christmas-market-6-december-2024
• Sunnyside Wreath Workshop 7th Dec – https://www.peoplesfundraising.com/event/sunnyside-wreath-workshop-2024
• Chiltern Open Air Musem’s Festive Weekend sounds wonderful – Meet Father Christmas in one of their historic buildings, listen to local choirs performing seasonal tunes and say ‘hello’ to the festive ponies in our fields. 7/8th Dec, Chalfont St Peter – https://www.coam.org.uk/events/festive-weekend
• Festive market at Earth Trust’s Fison Barn, Little Wittenham. Saturday 7th December – https://earthtrust.org.uk/events/christmas-market/
• Festive Repair Café at Open Door, Berkhamsted – get those fairy lights fixed by volunteers in exchange for a donation! 7 Dec – https://www.opendoorberkhamsted.co.uk/repair-cafe.html
• Christmas Reflections – 8th December, Berkhamsted – https://ticketpass.org/event/ETVOBO/christmas-reflections
• Wild Christmas Charity run – 14th December – https://www.runthewild.co.uk/adventure/wild-christmas-charity-run/
• Sunnyside Santa’s Grotto and Sunnyside Christmas Arts Fair Fun Day – 14th December – https://www.facebook.com/events/1592549804945971/?_rdr
• Lions Club of Tring invite you and your family to join them for carol singing on Christmas Eve from 6.30pm. At Forge Car Park, Tring.
• Santa’s Sleigh visiting houses in Berkhamsted – https://www.berkorotary.org/ and Tring – https://renniegrovepeace.org/get-involved/fundraising-events/whats-on/santa-float/
• Open Door have a plethora of events in the run up to Christmas such as craft workshops, breakfast with Santa and more! All proceeds go to the vital work they do for everyone in our community. https://www.opendoorberkhamsted.co.uk/whats-on.html
• The Hospice of St Francis have a few events in December, ranging from fun santa runs, carol concerts, Light up a Life, and more! https://www.stfrancis.org.uk/events
• Wreath making, sky diving and more for Rennie Grove Peace Hospice – https://renniegrovepeace.org/get-involved/fundraising-events/whats-on/
• A home based one for you- Rennie Grove big festive quiz at home! https://renniegrovepeace.org/get-involved/fundraising-events/whats-on/rennie-grove-big-festive-quiz-of-the-year/

January

• And when January comes round – don’t waste those trees! Collection will be bookable soon by the Scouts – https://trees.1stberkhamsted.org.uk/ and the Hospice of St Francis https://www.stfrancis.org.uk/events/fundraising/christmas-tree-collections

Phew! Plus of course, don’t forget to shop local for those presents you do want to give – check out the brilliant directory on this site.

Wishing you a very merry, and charitable Christmas!